Ditties from the Edge of the World

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Filk Album
Album Title: Ditties from the Edge of the World
Producer:
Type: Studio
Date: 1985
Medium: Tape
Fandom: Blake's 7
Performer(s): Linda Short
Other:
External Links: at Blake's 7: Judith Proctor's
at YouTuber (private playlist)
at Internet Archive (download)
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Ditties from the Edge of the World is a filk cassette tape played by Linda Short for Blake's 7 fandom. It got a special mention on the fansite Blake's 7: Judith Proctor's pages, along with six other well-known fandom filk tapes.

This is a tape I frequently find myself singing along to. From me there is no higher praise.

— Judith Proctor

Cassette Tape

wrap around cassette tape cover

Special thanks to Sue Walker "whose original ideas inspired Summer-time Kinght and Anna's Song."

Side A

All songs sung by Linda Short.

  1. Bound for Cygnus by Trad / Linda Short
  2. Queen of Seasons by Maria Przeslawska
  3. Trooper Grey by Linda Short
  4. Summer-time Knight by Linda Short, inspired by Sue Walker
  5. Anti-hero's Lament by Val Douglas
  6. Kerril and Son by Linda Short
  7. B7 in Brief by ?

Side B

  1. Star of the Delta Grade by Trad / Linda Short
  2. Lily of Sarran by Maria Przeslawska
  3. Mistress of the Universe by Jean Sheward
  4. Anna'a Song by Linda Short, inspired by Sue Walker
  5. Retribution by Carol West
  6. Drink up thy Soma by Trad / Linda Short

Sample Lyrics

Anti-Hero’s Lament[1] (you have to imagine this being sung in a mild Cockney or strong Londish)

I’m only a poor Anti-Hero
In a Space Opera on BBC
You may think it looks thrilling
When blood I am spilling
But you ought to try it & see!

I has to wear clothes that look macho
Just to make my tough image complete
But the leather feels lumpy,
The studs are all bumpy
& the boots are KILLING me feet!

My crew don’t invite me to party
‘Cause they says I’m a killjoy & bore
& the girls I admire
Get shot & expire
So I don’t chat ‘em up anymore.

I ain’t got no friends, ‘cause I kills them.
Well, I has to, before they kills me.
I look vicious & snigger
As I pull the trigger
Then I goes back alone to me bunk, & me tea.

So I think, as I sit in me cabin,
Of the good times to come- Do I? Heck!
As a cynic I know
I will end the last show
W/ me brains splattered over the deck.

& when the last series is cancelled
‘Cause the Beeb doesn’t want us no more
I’m going to aspire to
A place to retire to
With roses & things ‘round the door

So I sit on me own in me cabin
Writing poems, & trying to get me lines to scan
If I was in another progr-(I)-am
I know that I could show I am
A really kind hearted & loveable man.

So pity the poor Anti-Hero
The next time he appears on your screen
His poor heart is breaking
His feet they are aching!
No wonder the poor sod looks mean!

B7 In Brief[2] (sung to the tune of M. Witmark and Sons' The Teddy Bear's Picnic) (excerpt)

If you go out in the woods today
You'd better not go alone
Don't go out in the woods today
It's safer to stay at home.
Each mortal man that ever there was
Today is in great danger because
T'day's the day the Decimas 'ave their picnic.
Picnic time for Decimas
The little Decimas were 'aving a lovely time today
Until they became aware
Of someone's intentions with deadly rays.
Now see them start to shriek and shout
They love to kick about a couple of heads or two
I hope that when it's time to go
That you'll take your bloody rubbish oh
Nice little Decimas.

Reactions and Reviews

Linda Short’s first album, “Songs Of The Seven”, was all original music, but people complained because they couldn’t just sing them with the words, so she did another, “Ditties From the Edge of The World,” with existing tunes for her original words. There’s something very special - magical! - about sitting around late at night during a con, singing songs related to your passion, some about novels you’ve read, others about novels you might then decide to read as a result.

— Sue Bursztynski[3]

I HAVE BEEN GOING MAD WITH A SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD FOR DAYS. Google would not help me with the lyrics, I was going so bonkers. Then I remembered the Gauda line from “Retribution” and it clicked! That old fan Blake’s 7 fan album. Thank you Linda Short and everyone who works to conserve fandom. There is so much wonderful content created and conserving it is just as important as fostering new art!

— spaceoperabitch[4]

I've seen the tapes "Songs of the Seven" and "Ditties from the Edge of the World" at cons fairly recently... Linda's songs are wonderful, though they tend to be more serious and moody. That seems to be consistent with my observations that Brits tend to take a more gloomy outlook than Americas! [5]

References

  1. ^ "A B7 Filk what I had no part in writing...: entropy_house — LiveJourn…". 2009-09-23. Archived from the original on 2021-09-05.
  2. ^ For references and comparisons see also "The Teddy Bears' Picnic - The Nursery Rhyme Collections". 2021-09-05. Archived from the original on 2021-09-05.
  3. ^ "The Great Raven: FILK MUSIC - REMEMBER WHEN...?". 2009-05-26. Archived from the original on 2021-09-05.
  4. ^ "Ditties from the Edge of the World". 2021-06-16. Archived from the original on 2021-09-05.
  5. ^ from The Neutral Arbiter #2 (September 1991)
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